Kerala health minister Veena George stated that 175 people in Malappuram district have been included in the contact list related to the Nipah virus outbreak, reported news agency ANI.
Out of the 175 who were in contact with the recent Nipah case, 74 are healthcare workers. 126 people are on the primary contact list, out of which 104 are considered to be high-risk. 49 others are categorised under secondary contact.
Ten people on the list are currently receiving medical treatment at Manjeri Medical College Hospital. The health minister also said that 13 individuals were being tested and their results were awaited.
On September 9, a 24-year-old man died after being infected by the Nipah virus. The state, which has dealt with several Nipah virus outbreaks since 2018, recorded its first death due to the virus on July 21, 2024.
According to a PTI report, Nipah virus antibodies had been found in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Fruit bats are natural hosts of the virus and can spread it to humans after which person-to-person transmission is possible.
This has been the second death this year due to the Nipah virus, which the World Health Organisation defines as a priority pathogen because of its potential to cause an epidemic. There is no vaccine and no specialised treatment to cure it.
To deal with the potential spread of the virus, state health minister Veena George has also categorised five wards in the Malappuram district as containment zones. All shops in these zones will close by 7 pm, and other spaces where groups of people congregate such as cinema halls, schools, colleges, Madrassas, anganwadis and tuition centers will remain shut.
People have also been issued directives to not gather in large numbers and wear masks in public. In the Malappuram district, restrictions on the number of participants in weddings, funerals and other events have also been announced.
